Improvement in caps for billiard-table bolt-heads



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIo-E.

JULES PLUNKETT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,990, dated July ll, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULES PLUNKETT, of New York, of the county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Caps for Billiard-Table Bolt- Heads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Previous t0 myinvention it has been customary in the use of bolts, (in the construction of billiardtables, &c.,) the heads of which have to be exposed to view, to make the head of a smooth circular form, (or the shape of a segment of a circle,) and puncture it with a couple of holes adapted to receivethe legs of a wrench to turn it, as such formed head is more comely in appearance than the polygonally-shaped bolt-head, and can be more readily nished up to present an ornamental appearance. And it has also been customaryT to provide the common (unfinished) polygonal bolt-head with a sheet-metal cap of finished and ornamental appearance, arranged to cover over the bolt-head and secured thereto by a minute or very small screw, round-headed and nicked in the usual manner. Although the last-named method of capping the head of the bolt is more desirable than having the bolt-head exposed to view, still it is subject to some objections, among which may be named these, viz., that in many cases, as, for instance, on the rails of a billiard-table, the appearance ofthe nicked screw-heads with the slots placed at various angles or relative positions, is obnoxious to the eye, and in all'cases where it is necessary to remove the caps to adjust the bolts the nicks of the small screws are liable to get stripped7 and the head of the screw marred by the use of the screw-driver. These objections have been found so great in some uses of the capped 7 bolt that it has been suggested to have the small screw soldered fast to the internal face of the sheet-metal cap, sothat bjpturning the latter with the fingers the cap may be secured tov or ornamental bolt-head cover which can be manufactured at small cost, and be easily applied and free of the objections stated; and to these ends my invention consists in a bolt-head cap or covering of sheet metal or other suitable material, adapted to cover the bolt-head, formed with a polygonal hole in the center and provided with a square-shanked screw adapted to fit in said hole and screw into a female screw (or tapped hole) in the bolt-head, as hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to more fully describe it, referring by letters to the accompanying drawing forming part of this speciiication, and in which- Figure l is an elevation of a bolt, provided with my improved ornamental cap. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the sheet-metal cap, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the square-shanked screw.

In the several iigures the same part is designated by the same letters of reference.

a is an ordinary bolt, (such as is used to secure to the frame the cushion-rails of a billiard-table,) formed with the usual hexagonal head l), which is to be covered with the ornamented cap. c is the head-covering or cap, made of sheet metal in any desired form, and which may be plated, polished, or otherwise finished or ornamented; and d is the small square-shanked screw, by which the cap c is secured to the head b' of the bolt c. rlhe cap c is formed, as shown, with a square hole at f, which corresponds in size with the square shank c of the screw d, and the bolt-head b is drilled and tapped out to accommodate the threaded portion of screw d, as shown at Fig. 2. the cap c is made of thin sheet metal, and it is more convenient to have the square portion c of the screw of a length greater than the thickness of said cap c, I countersink the hole in the bolthead b, to accommodate a part of the square shank e, as shown.

It will be understood that when it is desired to apply the cap or cover to the bolt it is only necessary to insert the small screw d in the square hole j' of the cap, and then with the ngers turn the cap while holding the head of screw d in the cap, and it will be seen that as the screw cis turned home by the turning of the cap c, the

cap will be clamped between the head of screw d and the bolt-hea l, and that the bolthead d, cap c, and screw d will all be perfectly and securely fastened together. Of course the cap c may be be made of any suitable material, and the head of screw d may be finished to match it, and when in place the head of screw d and the cap c will appear as if made in one piece, and the two together may be made of any shape,design, and inish desired. It will be understood that as the heads of screw d and cap c are both circular in coutoiu, the removal aud replacement of any number of bolts so capped will all look alike. As the screw d is turned readily by the cap c, which is large enough always for the ingers to get a sufficient purchase on it, there is no necessity for any nick in the head of d. Since the caps c are readily and economically manufactured of sheet metal, it will be seen that in the process of manufacture the square hole or edge j' will be made always in the center without difficulty, so that the cap will always be placed centrally on the bolt-head, which is often very essential, as, for instance, where a row of these tapped heads appear, as in the rail of a billiard-table, where it is necessary to have the caps run in line with the bolts.

Having described my improved bolt-head cap or covering, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A covering or cap for boltheads, composed of the cap c, made of any suitable material and design, formed with a polygonal eye in the center of its face, and provided with a securing-screw,

Vdghaving a polygonal portionye, adaptedY to Yenter 

